This invention relates to a combination photobooth/e-mail center adapted to take a digitized photograph of a user at a first station at the center and to transmit the photograph via electronic mail from a second location at the center to a remote location.
Self-photography booths have been used for years. The traditional booths included a camera that was actuated once the user inserted the correct amount of money. A time mechanism was employed to take a specific number of flash pictures of the occupant or occupants of the booth. With the advent of computer and video technology, the booths have been modernized. Video cameras allow a live image of the user to be taken. Video processing of the image then allows a photograph to be generated from that live image.
Stand alone postcard e-mail devices are also known. These devices enable a user to send an electronic postcard to another person by electronic mail by scanning a photograph provided by the user and sending the scanned image as instructed by the user. Other similarly known scanning devices enable a user to scan a photograph into a printer which, in turn, reproduces the scanned image onto a variety of fanciful objects such as a mug or a t-shirt. However, the necessary step of scanning the image into these secondary devices reduces the quality of the reproduced image.
Stand alone photo or video e-mail devices are also known. These devices enable a user to send an electronic postcard or an electronic video clip of the user in a digitized form and then send this image to any e-mail address right from this stand alone station. However, these devices inconveniently combine two very different functions: photo taking function and the e-mail function. Photo taking function usually takes three to five minutes and typically includes: inserting money into a bill acceptor; selecting various backgrounds; freezing and unfreezing the desired pose; and actually printing the photo using a printer. During this time, the photobooth is occupied by one customer and no one else can use the booth. After the user""s image is captured, the e-mail function starts. The customer must then begin using a keyboard to type in his or her name and e-mail address, the addressee""s name and e-mail address, the message and the command to xe2x80x9csavexe2x80x9d. The combination of these functions is a deterrent to the uninitiated, is time consuming for the user and limits the economic return on the photobooth.
It therefore an object of this invention to provide a combination photobooth/e-mail center having separate function stations to facilitate concurrent use by more than one user.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a combination photobooth/e-mail center which enables a user to send a copy of a digital photograph taken at the photobooth using electronic mail, or otherwise purchase additional copies of the photograph, via the Internet, having the same picture quality as the original digital photograph.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a device for taking a live photograph and for sending a digitized postcard of the photograph to someone else via electronic mail.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a device for taking a live photograph at a first station and for sending a digitized postcard of the photograph to someone else via electronic mail at a second station.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a photobooth which creates a digitized photograph imprinted with a code number which can later be electronically retrieved by the user at a remote computer terminal via the Internet, at which point the user may send a copy of the photograph to another person by electronic mail or may purchase alternative print forms of the photograph.
This invention results from efforts to provide users of self-photography booths with a device and method for sending a digital photograph taken at the booth to another person by electronic mail and/or for purchasing additional prints of the photograph in various print forms. These efforts were also intended to create opportunities for the owner of the self-photography booths to generate additional income from use of the booths after the first original print is delivered to the user at the booth. In effect, the invention relates to an indexed database of digital negatives. The database is then used to support insertion, deletion and retrieval of digitized photographic images taken at a plurality of remotely located photobooths connected to a central computer via a modem or other available communication means.
The preferred embodiment of the photobooth/e-mail center of the invention for taking a digitized photographic image of a user at a first station and retrieving and electronically displaying the digitized photographic image at a second station comprises: one or more first stations, comprising, a means for taking the digitized photograph of the user; a first means for displaying the digitized photograph; a means for generating a code corresponding to the digitized photographic image; means for printing and delivering a hardcopy of the photograph to the user at the first station; and a means for transmitting the digitized photograph and the code to a first database residing in one or more second stations; the second station, comprising, a means for electronically entering the code; a means for retrieving the stored digitized photograph from the first database in response to the means for electronically entering the code; a means for receiving and storing the digitized photograph in response to the means for retrieving the stored digitized photograph from the first database; and a second means for transmitting the digitized photograph to one or more third stations.
The photobooth/e-mail center may further comprise a means for transmitting the digitized photograph to a second database residing in a remote computer, wherein the remote computer is preferably a web server. The means for transmitting the digitized photograph to the web server may comprise one or more lines selected from a group consisting of a laplink, modem, TS and ISDN line. Depending on the location of the stations of the invention, the means for transmitting the digitized photograph and the code to the first database may also comprise one or more lines selected from a group consisting of a laplink, modem, TS and ISDN line.
The photobooth/e-mail center may also comprise one or more fourth stations from which the second database is capable of being accessed. The means for electronically entering the code preferably includes a means for entering a message; and wherein the second means for transmitting the digitized photograph to one or more third stations is further capable of transmitting the message with the digitized photograph to the one or more third stations.
The preferred method of the invention for use at a photobooth/e-mail center for taking a digitized photographic image of a user at one or more first stations, retrieving and electronically displaying the digitized photographic image at one or more second stations, and transmitting the digitized photographic image to one or more third stations, comprises the steps of: taking the digitized photograph of the user at the first station; displaying the digitized photograph; generating a code corresponding to the digitized photographic image; transmitting the digitized photograph and the code to a first database residing in the second station; accessing the first database at the second station; entering the code at the second station; retrieving the stored digitized photograph from the database in response to entering the code; receiving and storing the digitized photograph in response to retrieving the stored digitized photograph from the first database; displaying the digitized photograph; and transmitting the digitized photograph to a third station. The method preferably comprises the steps of providing a second database residing in a remote computer; accessing the second database at a fourth station; entering the code at the fourth station; retrieving the stored digitized photograph from the second database in response to entering the code; and receiving and storing the digitized photograph in response to retrieving the stored digitized photograph from the second database. The method may also include the step of printing and delivering a hardcopy of the photograph to the user at the first station.